


business associates

by MilkyPotus



Category: She Loves Me - Bock/Harnick/Masteroff
Genre: Angst, Canon but not canon, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Mutual Pining, Romance, au-ish, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21645244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilkyPotus/pseuds/MilkyPotus
Summary: People would always assume they were together, and for some reason it stopped bothering both of them after the fifth time someone asked them about it. Sometimes, him being her ‘’husband’’ helped her. Sometimes, her being his ‘’wife’’ made him realize important things.
Relationships: Amalia Balash/Georg Nowack
Comments: 19
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AU - Sort of. Georg and Amalia aren’t brave enough to ask dear friend out to dinner, so they keep writing letters. Georg and Amalias relationship however seem to change for some reason. In this ''AU'', Ladislav does not send any letters to Mr.Maraczek (he finds out about it himself)

It started off innocently enough, when a customer entered in the middle of a small banter they had by the shelves full of perfume. They had been discussing the smell of a perfume that had been recently brought in. It was such a meaningless argument, as most of their arguments were, but it was a doozie. The customer hadn’t been that invested in their argument at first, or at least until their argument took a more personal direction. 

They had started to criticize each other, finding small flaws that they could use to make the other step down. But since they were both very stubborn, this drew further on, so far that Ilona and Kodaly were betting on who would win. 

‘’At least you got rid of that stupid yellow tie. I was nearly going to puke when I first saw it’’ Amalia crosses her arms and Georg laughs condescendingly at that. 

‘’What about you, Miss. Balash? I bet you would look better if you took the time to comb your hair in the morning, at least make yourself look professional’’ he flicks a curl that had fallen out of place to prove his point. Amalia swats his hand away from her, then takes a step closer and points a finger accusingly at him. 

‘’You know damn well that I comb my hair every morning and that it gets messy when I have to run here to be on time’’ she hisses, and Georg grins. 

‘’Be here on time? Bwah, that was a great joke’’ 

The customer suddenly looks away from Sipos, who was tending her, and chuckled to herself. She smiles brightly at Amalia and Georg, who continue to fight, and makes her way over to them. They don’t notice her until she speaks.

‘’Ah, aren’t lovers quarrels the best part of marriage?’’ She asks, and both Georg and Amalia whip their heads towards the customer. They both had their mouths open, but no words came out for a few moments. The customer doesn’t exactly understand their faces are of shock, as she continues ‘’believe it or not, arguments are very healthy in a relationship and it helps you grow better’’ Amalia was the first to speak, as Georg couldn’t muster up the right words to say and not sound rude. 

‘’No, no, no. You got this all wrong’’ Amalia laughs nervously and the woman nods knowingly, when she in fact did not know anything at all. 

‘’It’s alright dear, it is very normal to argue with your husband.’’ Amalia turns red at that and a laugh could be heard escaping Kodaly's mouth from the other side of the store. ‘’How long have you two been married?’’ She asks, and Amalia swears she could see Georg blushing from the corner of her eye. 

‘’I- Im-- We’re not--’’ Amalia struggles to find the right words herself now, but Ladislav manages to get the customers attention again and lead her back to his station. They are in the clear now, but they both don’t move from their spots for another heartbeat. Amalia takes a deep breath and escapes into the workroom, Mr.Nowack quickly following after her. 

They are both silent in there, until he laughs. And then she laughs with him. 

Its short but very sweet, a moment that they both enjoyed very much, and Amalia finds herself really liking his laugh and the way he grins so widely after that, almost like a child. She shakes her head from thinking that again and regains her posture. 

‘’Well, my wife, I’ll be off tending some customers’’ He emphasises the word wife, and Amalia feels herself flush at the sound of him referring to her as his wife, but she doesn’t let that show. Instead, she smiles mischievously back at him. 

‘’Alright then, my dear husband, I'll see you after work then at home ’’ She winks at him then sticks her tongue out and leaves the workroom with that. She completely misses the way Georg’s eyes widen and the most visible blush that spreads across his cheeks.


	2. Chapter 2

Autumn had rather quickly turned into winter this year, so quick that one day had been mediocre in warmth and the next was so far the coldest day in november. That would explain why Amalia had rushed out of her apartment without changing her autumn coat to her winter one and not wearing a scarf. 

She hadn’t thought much about it when running to the bus station, watching her steps very carefully and letting out a huge sigh of relief when she had made it right on time. That was when she first noticed how cold her hands were underneath her gloves, and how her eyes had teared up due to her dry eyes. 

It was warm enough in the bus as it drove, and Amalia relaxes at that. She tightens the coat around her body and starts preparing herself for when she needs to get off. The bus stops and Amalia walks off, and the cold air immediately hits her and makes her let out a massive groan to herself. She really didn’t want to be sick. 

The wind had started picking up speed, and Amalia shivers into her thin coat. She hates the feeling of her bare neck against the wind, and the openness makes it easier for the wind to travel down her back. 

On the way to the shop, glad that she at least isn’t going to be late to work, she does see Georg up ahead come out of a small bakery with a steaming hot cup, and he also catches sight of her. Amalia was unsure of how to proceed. 

They worked at the same shop, but they weren’t exactly each other's biggest fans. Would it be weird for her to approach him with their strained relationship in mind? He seems to have however stopped to wait for her, and she straightens her back when she arrives. 

‘’Good morning, Mr.Nowack’’ she greets and Georg greets her, and they walk together to the shop. He takes a sip of his coffee and Amalia wishes that she had brought some tea with her. 

‘’Decided to show up on time, huh?’’ He jokes, and Amalia’s mind briefly thinks about what the customer had said a few days earlier. She rolls her eyes and lets out a fake laugh. 

‘’Haha, really original’’ 

They walked together in silence for a few minutes, and she feels that Georg keeps glancing over at her. It would normally annoy the hell out of her, but she was too busy trying not to shiver and keep herself warm. 

‘’Miss. Balash, are you cold?’’ he asks, and Amalia glares at him. 

‘’Wow, how could you tell?’’ She sarcastically groans out, and Georg huffs at that. They continue walking for another minute when Georg glances at his klock and stops. She turns around, about to ask what he was doing, when she suddenly feels him step closer and wrap his red scarf around her neck. The sheer movement of him stepping closer was usually enough to make her blush, but the fact that he had decided to also wrap his scarf around her made her feel a warmth grow in her face. ‘’Mr.Nowack--!’’ She protests and he steps back, raising his hands up in surrender. 

‘’Hey, I can’t have you come into work sick, especially not now that business has picked up a significant amount’’ He reasons, and Amalia looks away, down at her feet, then gently fixes the scarf a little bit tighter. She starts walking away, towards the shop, and she feels him following right after her.

‘’Thank you’’ She mumbles out, unsure if she wants him to hear her or not, but of course he manages to catch what she says. 

‘’You’re welcome. Do however keep in mind that it will be getting colder, I can’t keep lending you my scarf every time’’ 

‘’You’re the one who gave me it!’’ She argues back and he grins widely at her. They keep on talking all the way to the shop, but it was a surprisingly pleasant talk. Sure, they would sometimes argue, but nothing like before. It was a startling change in their normal behaviour around each other. A rather nice change. 

When they arrive together at the shop, they notice Maraczeks most frequent customers gossiping outside of the shop. They both greeted the three ladies, who smiled at them widely then return back to their talk. Amalia enters the shop and leaves the door open for Georg to walk in through.

Ilona was the first person to take notice to her wearing Georg’s signature scarf during the winter, also noting almost instantly the lack of angry tension between them. She can’t make a comment about that when Mr.Maraczek comes out of his office to signal them the opening of their shop. 

Amalia continues wearing the scarf the rest of the day, somehow the scarf ended up matching greatly with the rest of her outfit (a black pencil skirt and a white shirt with red details embroidered into the cuffs). Georg doesn’t complain about it, in fact, he likes seeing her hands twirl around the loose ends when she talks to a customer. 

He and Amalia were just counting their products for Mr.Maraczek, Georg writing down everything she says, when they both hear the three ladies from earlier start gossiping about them. 

‘’When do you think they did it?’’ The lady in glasses asks, and the other two had too think about it for a few seconds. 

‘’Has to have happened very recently, perhaps yesterday?’’ the blonde one whispers back, and both Georg and Amalia look at each other in confusion. The three ladies weren’t exactly being subtle, since they were standing a few feet away, staring at them and not whispering at a low volume. 

‘’It’s odd, she isn’t wearing a ring’’ The lady with glasses remarks and her friend, the brunette, scoffs. 

‘’Perhaps he didn’t have enough money. Being a salesman doesn’t exactly pay that much’’ That was the moment both Amalia and Georg understood what they were referring to. Georg puts down his noteblock and pen, facing the ladies who turn to him with shock. 

‘’Excuse me, ladies. Reasonably, gossiping in here isn’t the greatest idea. Would you three mind taking that talk someplace else?’’ Georg flashes them his most sincere smile, and the three ladies nod in understandment. They grab what they have purchased and make their way to the exit, were all clerks and Ilona stand to greet them out. After their quick song, Georg only feels the need to run after them outside the shop. ‘’And for your information, Miss.Balash and I are not married, neither are we going to be’’ 

The three ladies snicker at him and then leave. 

When he returns inside, he watches Amalia count and write down the products on her own. He was genuinely struck with confusion. He didn’t feel as much anger and frustration at her anymore, it was instead replaced by meaningless arguments that he would sometimes look forward too. 

But they were friends. This is what friends feel. Georg was probably confusing love for a friend and love for a partner, since he was barely used to being friends with Amalia. They barely even talked about topics normal friends talk about.

He returns to her side, taking the notebook from her and they immediately get back into the rhythm of counting.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a nice December day, not too cold and not too icy out on the streets, so at Mr. Marazceks orders they were all planning to go celebrate the first week of the hell that was about to break lose. They were all already tired from hundreds of customers coming in this past week, so they decided that they needed a day after work to relax and drink some wine. 

They were shown to a table at a charming cafe called Café Gerbeaud, and Mr.Maraczek had booked them two tables, where Georg, Amalia and Arpad sat together, and the rest were beside them a feet away. Amalia was unsure how she felt about the atmosphere in the Café, it seemed to be a mixture between romantic and fancy, something that she normally enjoyed. But the only problem was the man who was seated in front of her. Mr.Nowack.

Sure, they were getting on better terms with each other, but the stress from the past week had led to both of them taking out some steam on each other after they closed the doors to the shop. It had been especially harsh words from him, and he even dared to call her incompitent and inefficient! Even if he damn well knew she worked just as hard as him! Amalia had been nice enough to not slap him. That had been the reason as to why he was forced by Mr.Maraczek himself to sit here. To apologize.

Amalia quietly drank from her glass of wine, listening to Arpad tell them about today's deliveries he got to do. He was such an innocent young boy, talking animatedly about everything he has experienced today with such joy. She was glad that he was there to distract her from the man who was currently drinking their third bottle of wine in a hurry. 

So when Arpad told them that he had to hurry home to his family the moment the clock hit 10, it was only Amalia and Georg at the table, sitting quietly and waiting patiently for their food. She hadn’t ordered anything big, only a tiramisu, a desert she fancied very much, and Georg had ordered two kurtos with ice cream in the middle. 

When the deserts came, she finally had a topic of conversation for them. ‘’This might be the tastiest Tiramisu I have tasted in my life’’ She says after taking two bites from her bowl. He looks up, a bit surprised at the fact that she was talking to him. 

‘’I suppose their kurtos aren’t half bad either, but I think mine are way better’’ he mumbled through a bite, covering his mouth with a hand whilst speaking. 

‘’Wait, you can bake kurtos?’’ She gasps, shocked at that fact. ‘’Mr.Nowack, I had never taken you as a baker’’ 

‘’It isn’t such a well known fact, but I guess I am full of surprises to someone who barely takes the time to get to know me’’ He chuckles and she nods, swallowing down a bite of tiramisu with guilt. She takes a deep breath and looks up at him, who was already starting on his second kurtos. They did look delicious, and he noticed her staring.

‘’You want to taste it?’’ He asks, not sounding in any way rude or mean, and Amalia has to think for a minute, before nodding. He smiles and simply takes the chimney cake, reaches his hand to her side of the table and holds it for her. She doesn’t give it a second thought as she bites into it, and her eyes immediately flutter open at the taste. 

She licks her lips and giggles happily at the taste of powdered sugar and cinnamon on them. The pastry was the perfect amount of crunchy and soft, the vanilla ice cream swirling around her mouth made her sigh with delight and everything was so good. 

‘’And you’re telling me your Kurtos are better than this? I highly doubt that, Mr.Nowack.’’She says when she finishes her bite, and he seems dazed for a moment, before her grins at her. 

‘’Then I shall bring you some on monday and you’ll see for yourself’’ He says and she laughs lightly. She then looks down at her own desert. This was the closest thing she would be getting from him as an apology, and she accepts it. She’d love to eat some kurtos in December.

‘’Want a taste from mine?’’ She asks and he nods, so she takes her spoon and scooped up a generous amount before bringing it to his mouth. He eats it, and there was a suspenseful moment where he had closed his eyes and was evaluating. 

When he finished the bite and opened his eyes, the only thing that came out of his mouth was ‘’holy shit’’ And she laughs at his reaction. He joins her. They are soon quiet and they hear a ton of whispers coming from the table to the right of them, so from the opposite side of where the rest of their coworkers were. 

They both looked to the side and saw an old lady and an old man, presumably a couple by the way her golden ring shined brighter than the sun and the way they were holding hands on the table. The old couple seemed to be embarrassed at being caught, but the husband shakes his head at them. 

‘’Don’t worry, younglings. We weren’t making fun or judging you. It’s just that the way you two act reminds us of when we were younger’’ He explains, and Georg and Amalia relax at hearing that. So they were just reminiscing about the good old days. 

They sit and talk with the couple, or it was more like the couple told them stories about how they meet in poland and escaped here together at a young age. It was a wonderful story, they both had to admit. Amalia excuses herself to go to the bathroom, and Georg watches her leave until she was out of sight. That seems to get the old couples attention again. 

‘’Say, dear’’ The old lady looks at Georg, and he nods at her whilst taking a sip from his wine ‘’How did you pop the question?’’ She asks and Georg coughs into his glass, his hands gripping the table in surprise. 

‘’What?’’ He chokes out and she laughs at his reaction. 

‘’How did you ask her to marry you’’ The man clarifies, and Georg shakes his head slowly. Where had they gotten that idea from? They weren’t even talking for the first hour of their stay here! And why is it the third time that somebody has assumed they were a couple since november?

‘’No, I- We’re not married’’ He explains and the couple looks at each other, then look at him and they both nod. 

‘’Alright then, my dear boy. Let me just give you a piece of advice’’ The old man starts as they get up from their table and start wearing their coats. ‘’Don’t wait too long, or someone will come and take your place’’ and with that, they leave him dumbfounded and alone. 

When Amalia returns, she was saddened to see that the old couple had gone away and was replaced by a rather intimate couple, who were currently being scolded by a waiter for doing indecent things. ‘’Aww, I really wanted to hear more from them’’ She complains as she sits down, looking at Georg who seemed to be absent minded. ‘’Ge- Mr.Nowack?’’ 

‘’They thought we were married’’ He simply states and Amalia blushes, but lets out a nervous laugh to disguise her bashfulness. 

‘’Why do people keep assuming that?’’ She asks herself and Georg shrugs.


	4. Chapter 4

Fortunately, when Monday comes and the second week of hell begins, Amalia was on a very jolly and nice mood. She had received another gorgeous and long letter from her dear friend, and the words in said letter made her feel so happy! 

He had written about his domestic life, something she absolutely adores hearing about and desperately wishes she could be a part of. The letters had been telling her of what he found amusing other than literature, and he had apparently spent the weekend baking pastries for a friend of his. 

Which reminds her of something Georg had promised her, and she was unsure if he would actually show up to work with kurtos or if he had simply been joking. An unexpected thought came into her head, and she briefly stops to think about it. Could Georg be… No way. She knows that Budapest is a big town, and that there are many male bakers around. 

Why would she even think that, Amalia scolds herself. She knows Dear friend like the back of her hand! She would immediately recognise him! Somebody so caring and gentle, using such nice and soothing words would be very hard to miss! She doesn’t want to admit this, but she was looking forward to arriving at work. 

Which she does in great time, dare she say, as she enters the shop and Arpad’s surprised face was the first thing she sees. ‘’Good morning Miss. Balash! What a surprise!’’ She raises an eyebrow at that. Before she has time to say anything, the door behind her opens and Georg quickly steps in. He didn’t seem to notice her, too distracted by something on his mind, and ends up walking right into her back. 

She yelps, fearing for a second that she would lose her balance and fall, but she manages to steady herself quickly. She was however surprised herself, at possibly the same reason Arpad was. 

‘’I came into work earlier than you did!’’ She yells triumphantly, and Ladislav, who walks up to the front door, claps for her unenthusiastically. She rolls her eyes at him, but smiles nonetheless. Today was going so great for her!

‘’Anyway, Georg. How come you ended up coming in after Miss. Balash? And what's in the bag?’’ Ladislav asks him, and Amalia just now takes notice of the brown paper bag he was holding in his hand as well.

‘’I nearly forgot about taking these with me and had to run home’’ Georg bashfully scratches the back of his neck, then looks at Amalia straight in the face. ‘’Kurtos?’’ He seems so unsure of his answer, and Amalia was unsure on how to respond. So he had actually taken the time to bake something for her, even if they were arguing through all of last week and would probably continue doing so this week. It was such a surprise he even thought about her, and Amalia finds herself feeling warm on the inside. 

‘’Why are you all still standing around the entrance for?’’ Mr.Maraczek’s voice suddenly cuts in, not in any way mad ‘’We have a shop to run! 17 days until christmas!’’ The four of them immediately scramble away to do their jobs, Ladislav and Arpad continuing putting out the displays along with Kodaly and Ilona, meanwhile Amalia and Georg run into the workroom to change out of their outdoor clothing. 

Amalia doesn’t exactly think too much of it when Georg winces to take off his coat, probably just strained his arm in their hurry to be done, but she raises an eyebrow when he drops the pin with the capital letter M on it. She picks it up for him, of course, and was about to make a snarky remark on his clumsiness when she notices that his sleeves were a bit wrinkled and unevenly pulled down. It seemed like Georg had to hurry up getting here, and in so leading to his disheveled look right now. 

‘’What’s up with you today?’’ She asks him, for some reason pinning the pin onto his suit were he usually has it herself instead of handing it to him. She doesn’t look up at his face to see his reaction, somewhat too focused on her task to even think about personal space.‘’You seem to be sloppier than usual, should I take this as your surrender?’’ She remarks offhandedly, her witty self taking over almost naturally around him.

Amalia then straightens the cuffs of his right arm, and that's when she feels him tense up.  
She looks up at him and notices his jaw was clenched shut, brows furrowed and his eyes were staring at her almost intimidatingly. The look on his face was of course something she was used to seeing on a daily basis, but there was an undertone of distress as well. 

He pulls away his arm from her, in a rather harsh way ‘’Thank you for the help Miss. Balash, but we have to work now unless you want to be discharged’’ Georg quickly lets out, and then he turns around and exits the room without so much as giving her a second look. Amalia opens her mouth, as if that would make a difference, and stands there for a few more seconds.

That was odd, very odd. He comes to work with pastries for her and now he was being cold and shut off? Amalia didn’t say anything offensive, did she? She has said so much worse to him and he had barely reacted then, so why now? She decides not to think about this anymore, since their relationship has always been a wacky one. 

She exits the room, not bothering to look at anyone as she positions herself by the door with Ilona and Arpad. Amalia puts on her best smile and takes a deep breath, and Ilona opens the door at Mr.Maraczeks orders. Already, there were four people entering the shop, and the busy day has just begun. 

Amalia and Georg don’t talk with each other through the entire day, and Amalia’s day unconsciously worsen each hour. She misses their small quips they have instead of their usual lengthy banters, and she was really trying not to beat herself up thinking of their interactions earlier. Had she perhaps overstepped her boundaries when she helped him with the pin and his shirt? Maybe he had thought she was doing it in a way to mock him? 

Unbeknown to her, Georg also misses their talks and was feeling rather guilty of the way he left her in the workroom. That had been very rude of him, and he knows that it was a rather unnecessary reaction on his side. She had only been trying to help him, he thinks to himself as he glances down at the pin on his chest, perfectly straight and at the exact spot he would normally place it. He sighs, straightening his vest and continuing on listening to the customer he’s attending ramble on about her recent encounter with someone he has never heard of. 

When they close the shop 20 minutes later than planned, due to a customer being so indecisive, all the workers have to take a moment to breathe. Ilona and Kodaly immediately excuse themselves and leave the establishment, and soon after Mr.Maraczek flings the keys to Georg and tells him to lock up the shop. Georg catches them with his left hand, and Amalia can’t help but notice that he used his nondominant hand. 

The four coworkers from earlier walk into the workroom together, and Georg happily brings out the kurtos and hands them to her, again using his nondominant hand. Amalia smiles a weak smile at him, but her mind is trying to figure something out. He was acting odd all day, and it had started the moment they came into the workroom to take off their coats-

His arm. There was something wrong with his arm.

Wanting to see if her theory was right, she watches him struggle slightly at flexing his right arm without making a grimace, and she wonders how she hasn’t picked up on this earlier. He was clearly in pain every time he tried to bend his arm, probably a bruise or… Her mind halts at the thought of him having a cut or broken his arm, and he probably hadn’t treated it properly.

Amalia slowly wanders up to Georg, placing the bag of pastries on the front counter then standing next to him. He notices her from his position by the floor on his knees, making it easier for him to reach the lower placed products, and gives her a confused glance. She hadn’t noticed Arpad and Ladislav curiously peering over at them. 

She smiles at him and then crouches down to his level, her face mere inches away from his. Before he has time to react, Amalia grabs his right hand by the wrist and slowly brings his arm to her. Georg, seemingly lost in thought for a second, reacts too late. Amalia had already pushed his sleeve up, and gasped. 

Georg releases his arm from her grip, this time less brutally than last time, and quickly stands up. Amalia follows up soon after, and her face is very concerned. She seemed so genuinely anxious about his injury that Georg rethinks his actions. He might want to be a bit nicer to her now. 

‘’What happened? Are you seriously injured?’’ She asks him, her tone full of worry and Georg whines at that. Why was she being so kind to him when all he has been to her is an ass? 

‘’Nothing serious! Just a strain Miss. Balash’’ He lies with a smile, and he watches her face shift between concern to doubt. 

‘’A strain doesn’t need to be bandaged in any way. I’m sure even someone like you would know that’’ Damn, he didn’t know she had such a sharp mind. Well, he did, but he didn’t expect her to know this. ‘’Furthermore, a strain won’t make it painful for you to bend your arm, especially not in the level you have been experiencing.’’ Georg is shocked. When had she noticed that? Was he not being as subtle as he had thought?

‘’Well, I-’’ He has to stop to think for a better excuse. Amalia gives him a pointed glare and he swears under his breath. He was going to have to be a bit nasty. ‘’I don’t see this as any of your business Miss. Balash’’

Amalia looks a bit taken back at the raise of his voice. With her brows furrowed, Amalia uses her arms and pushes him into the workroom by his back, with a lot of protesting from him. Georg could easily have stopped her. They both now notice Arpad and Ladislav walk in after them, still very invested in their exchange. 

‘’Mr.Nowack if you don’t sit down in that chair right now I will make you!’’ She threatens, and he had a skeptical expression on his face, clearly not believing her threat. Amalia groans for not being better at threatening people. She does however think of something that might make him sit down. She shoots Ladislav a quick glance, then at the chair behind Georg, And her plan was in motion. 

Without another thought, she uses both hands to grab his face, cupping it in her hands. He was immediately taken aback by her move, and Amalia grins. She lets go of him then quickly pushes him back, catching him off guard. He stumbles back, and thankfully Ladislav had caught on to what she was signaling before and holds the chair behind him. Georg’s knees hit the chair and he falters down onto the chair. Shocked by their teamwork, Georg looks between them with his mouth half open. 

Amalia carefully sits up on the table besides Georg, than motions for him to bring her his hand. He does so with a low grumble, and she places it gently on her lap. She admires his very poor attempt at wrapping up the injury, no doubt made in a hurry.

''What happened?'' She tries asking again, and Georg audibly swallows back another excuse. He sighs. 

''I accidentally burned myself yesterday'' He starts, his face indicating that there clearly was a part two. Amalia waits patiently for him to continue. ''And, in the midst of it all, I may have also banged my elbow into the cabinet'' He finishes. Amalia winces at the thought. Dang, that must've hurt.

‘’Have you applied any lotion on the burn?’’ She asks, and Georg looks away, shaking his head. Amalia has too take a deep breath to keep herself from yelling at his stupidity, and she just takes his arm and starts unwrapping the bandages. 

She sighs remorsefully when she sees the burn, glad that it wasn’t any other color than red and that it was thankfully less than three inches in width (it would have otherwise been an emergency). The bruise on his elbow however looked like a nasty one, one that probably hurts every time he uses the joint in his arm. 

Amalia looks over at Arpad, who was curiously watching her and probably taking mental notes.’’Can you bring me the emergency kit?’’ She asks him and he nods, immediately getting to work and leaving the workroom to get it from Mr.Marazceks office. 

Georg seemed slightly alarmed ‘’Why do we need the kit?’’ 

‘’Well, we can’t use this bandage, since it’s cotton in the middle, and I need to disinfect the area and the bruise before putting any lotion on them’’ She answers, and he gives her this strange look. ‘’What?’’ she feels a bit unnerved at his stare, and he notices. 

‘’No, nothing! It’s just that I didn’t know you knew so much about … medical attention?’’ he says, and Amalia smiles. 

‘’Well, It isn’t such a well known fact, but I guess I am full of surprises to someone who barely takes the time to get to know me’’ She says thoughtfully, but in truth she was just quoting the same thing he had told her last week. He blushes and looks away again, just in time for Arpad to enter with the kit. 

Amalia does as she had told him she would do, taking clean tissue paper and covering it with alcohol, then lightly wipes it over the burn. Georg only winces because of the pressure she puts on the burn, otherwise it doesn’t hurt in any way. She then takes the Mona Lisa coldcream Ladislav had brought in with him, laying a generous amount on her fingers before working it on his skin. Any cold cream would do the trick to sooth it, thankfully. The cold seems to relieve Georg, as he closes his eyes and relaxes at the feeling. 

When she was finished with the cold cream, she gives it back to Ladislav before opening a pack of sterile gauze bandages and using it to wrap around Georg’s arm instead of his soft cottened and packed one. ‘’Tell me if it's too tight’’

‘’That’s just perfect’’ He says in a low voice, his eyes still closed and he seemed so content at the moment. Ladislav looks between them, and something clicks in his head. 

‘’You know, for two people who fight every day, you two sure act like a married couple’’ He says, and Amalia accidentally grips Georg’s arm, making Georg yelp in pain. She apologizes to him then glares at Ladislav, and Georg does the same. Ladislav just shrugs, and Arpad speaks up. 

‘’Well, most people who come into Marazcek’s always assume you two are married’’ 

‘’Why? What the hell are we doing that makes people think ‘they’re married’!’’ Amalia question and finishes wrapping his arm. She pats his arm and Georg mouths a thank you towards her. Arpad and Ladislav look at each other with disbelief on their faces. 

‘’Are you serious? Amalia, you literally became a detective just to figure out what was up with Georg, then you force him to sit down and take care of him! His hand is literally still on your lap right now!’’ ladislav exclaims in disbelief, and Amalia blushes. Hearing her actions out loud from someone else really gave her another perspective on things. ‘’And Georg! You went out of your way to bake Amalia kurtos, so far that you gave yourself a nasty burn and bruise, and then you won’t admit you’re hurt because you don’t want to seem pathetic or in need of help!’’

Georg lets out a shaky laugh, his face warm and red‘’That doesn’t exactly sound like things specifically a married couple would do’’ Georg tries to argue, and Ladislav gives him a pointed glare. 

‘’Do you want me to get started on the personal space that doesn’t seem to exist between you two? Or the stunts you pulled in the Café last week?’’ Ladislav sort of threatens, and both Amalia and Georg look at each other in confusion when he mentions the café? Ladislav lets out a groan and throws his hands in the air. ‘’You know what, I will leave now’’ He yells out, taking his coat and hat from the locker then leaving quickly. 

Arpad panics slightly, being left and feeling slightly uncomfortable here with Georg and Amalia. He nods to both of them then sprints out, already wearing his coat. They stay where they are, not exactly being able to say anything after Ladislav’s outburst. 

When Amalia notices how late it was getting, she moves away from the table and takes the emergency kit with her, not looking back as she exits the work room. When she’s outside, she has to take a deep breath and not slap herself. She had been so caught off guard when Ladislav said that, somebody she thought she trusted! But her actions the last few days have perhaps been a bit … Weird? Amalia has no idea how to describe it properly. 

She was so deep into thought when she finishes putting the kit back in its place at Mr.Maraczek’s office and walks down the stairs that she nearly doesn’t notice Georg standing by the end of the staircase. When she does, she freezes. 

Georg seemed to also tense up, but he clears his throat. ‘’Thank you for your help’’ He starts and Amalia waves her hand dismissively. 

‘’No problem. I guess you can call us even’’ She responds, walking down the rest of the stairs and by him, their shoulders brushing. In Amalia’s mind, Ladislavs voice returns and she can faintly hear him say ‘personal space that doesn’t seem to exist’ again. 

‘’Even?’’ He questions and she grabs the bag of kurtos from the top of the counter, waving it at him. 

‘’Let’s now see if they really are better than the cafés or if you’re just too confident in yourself’’ Amalia grins at him, ang Georg returns it with a crooked smile. She opens the bag and is actually surprised in how perfectly golden brown they are and how they ́re evenly coated with cinnamon and sugar. She takes a peek inside and notices a drizzle of white chocolate. Amalia was very impressed. 

‘’So, are you just going to admire my skills as a baker or are you actually going to take a bite out of it?’’ Georg jokes, stepping closer to her and leans against the counter closest to them. Amalia can practically feel her heartbeat hard against her chest, but she rolls her eyes at him. 

She does take a bite, wrapping her mouth around the edge of the pastries and takes a bite. She doesn’t care if some sugar had gotten around her mouth, and she damn well didn’t care about the crumbs that were stuck to her lips. All she cared about was the fact that these were actually delicious, and that she had majorly underestimated Georg’s skills. 

Before Amalia can take another bite, she decides to look up and Georg, and oh the mistake that was. The sheer look on his face was enough to make her legs go weak, and it was nearly intoxicating how he was staring at her. Especially at her lips. 

Amalia quickly looks away, towards the exit, and takes a shaky breath. She couldn’t deal with this today. How had this perfect day turned so sour?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it and I initially thought about continuing it further, but decided against it. Would y'all like a small continuation of this chapter outside this fic? It would probably be rated M ;)


	5. Chapter 5

It was a rather nice saturday morning. The snow had fallen quite beautifully in the streets of Budapest and Amalia felt the urge to go out and just bask in the winter sun that shines upon the city. It truly felt like Christmas was near, and she was looking forward for said holiday. 

Amalia laughs quietly to herself as she walks out of her apartment, a chill wind coming her way but the sun was shining! She wanders down the street to the post office, where she knows a letter was waiting for her. Her joy only increases when the postman, a man she was quite familiar with, smiles at her and hands her the letter she was expecting. 

Feeling good about everything now, she stays a bit and chats with the postman, wishing his wife a happy belated birthday and his children luck at school. 

Amalia wasn’t exactly social, in fact many people who knew her would describe her as shy and quiet, but when it came down to people she knew she could spend an evening happily talking with somebody. She sighed dreamily, glancing at the letter and deciding that today, when she returns home, she will respond to his letter with an invitation. 

Placing his note in her purse, she waves goodbye to the worker and makes her way to her favorite cafe. Even though the cafe was far from her home, she usually needed to take the bus over, she was against going to the one by her street corner where they sold stale muffins. 

About twenty minutes later, she was standing by the large but quite homey cafe, and she grins when she notices the lack of people inside. Amalia just wishes for a quiet day with herself. 

“Amalia Balash?” a gasp came out when she entered the shop, and Amalia froze at hearing that voice. “It is you!” 

Before Amalia could turn to greet her, she was engulfed in a bone crushing hug from an old classmate, way back in the days. Amalia wishes she could just hide away. 

She smiles weakly at Adelaide, a petite woman with large eyes and short brown hair. “Hi..?” Amalia lets out, and her smile completely drops when she notices two other forgotten classmates sitting at a table in the corner, no doubt here with Adelaide. 

“How and where have you been? Gosh! It’s been so long since we last saw each other! January right?’’ Amalia could only nod her head at her questions, the other woman not leaving any room for her to speak. ‘’Why don’t you come sit with us?” The shorter woman asks brightly, and Amalia backs up a bit, leaving at least an arms length of space between them.

“Noo” Amalia waves a hand, as in gesturing that there is no need. Adelaide was oblivious to her signals, so Amalia sighs. “I don’t want to intrude...” She says, and Adelaide shakes her head almost vigorously. She has always been way too energetic, and very nice. Amalia likes Adelaide, it’s not like she had ever disliked her, but Amalia was so simple compared to her. Adelaide was an adventurer, being able to take risks and not think about any consequences! Amalia would rather stay at home and read a good book, making it hard for them to actually hang out.

“Don’t worry, Amalia! Im sure Catherine and Leina would love to catch up with you! Right, girls?” Adelaide looks back at her company, who nod and raise their thumbs up. Amalia smiles softly, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously. So, this was going to be a long day. 

She tells them that she was going to buy something and return, so when she stands in line to the counter, out of sight from the other women, she takes a deep breath and steadies herself. She brushes through her hair, making sure everything was in place, and straightens her cloths. 

When she received her order of coffee and two palmiers, she returns to the other three with slightly trembling hands. She seated herself beside Leina, a very tall girl with glasses and blonde hair so long that it could rarely not be pinned up in a bun. In front of Leina was Catherine, who looks slightly like Kodaly if he was a girl, and they share nearly the same personality. 

‘’So, Amalia. Tell us about your job! Heard you were still working at Hammerschmidt right?’’ Leina starts, and Amalia winces at the name. Sure, she had worked there for five years (and eight months) but that place never truly felt like home to her.

‘’No, actually. I started working at Maraczek’s this year, since june.’’ 

‘’Maraczeks? I have been told their hand creams are very good’’ Adelaide says, and Amalia decides against being the sales girl she is and only nods. She wasn’t going to try to sell their products whilst being with her friends. 

They chat for ten minutes, and Amalia felt a bit like she was being interrogated. They wouldn’t stop asking her questions, and she had barely any time to ask them anything before they came up with another question to ask. She was a bit uncomfortable, and quite saddened when Leina stands and tells them she has to leave. Leina was the one Amalia was actually closest to, since they shared the same hobby; reading books. 

‘’Are you still-’’ Adelaide was about to ask something, but was cut off with a hand to her shoulder from Catherine. 

‘’Alright, cut the boring talk.’’ Catherine says, placing her cup down and looking at Amalia. ‘’Abel has been cheating on Leina’’ And Amalia immediately remembers why she and Catherine were never that good of friends. 

But Amalia was actually not surprised. ‘’Well, it isn’t like Leina wasn’t expecting it. Abel has always been the type to fool around.’’ She says almost too casually, and the two look at her with surprise. ‘’What?’’

‘’Amalia, have you become the gossiping type?’’ Adelaide asks, her tone almost excited. 

Amalia shrugs. ‘’Perhaps?’’ 

‘’You know what that means.’’ Catherine says with a knowing smile, and Amalia swallows nervously. ‘’Our little Amalia has grown up’’ She winks at Amalia, and Adelaide gasps. 

‘’ That means you’re mature enough to finally have a husband!’’ Amalia grimaces at that. Could one really measure maturity through gossip? She stays quiet, and that was clearly a mistake since they both start to try and set her up with men they or their husbands knew. 

‘’How about my husbands brother? He loves to go camping and skiing!’’ Adelaide suggests, pulling out a photograph of the man she was talking about. Why she has that photo, that is something Amalia doesn’t want to know. What was more important to her right now was to make them stop.

‘’I- There’s no need fo-’’ She tries to cut in, but Catherine has other plans. 

‘’I know a man who works at a restaurant near my home. He’s very sweet, and an amazing cook’’ 

‘’Really, I am no-’’ Amalia lets out a frustrated sigh when they both choose to talk over her protests. She rubs her forehead in despair and then notices somebody outside the window and on the street. Georg Nowack. Bingpot. 

He notices her too and gives her a smile from outside, clearly making his way to the establishment. Amalia excuses herself from the two women, who watch her curiously as she walks out of the cafe to meet him by the entrance, closing the door so they can’t hear her. She ignores the cold completely, and Georg walks up to her with a surprised look on his face. 

‘’Miss Balash! How nice to see you here on thi-’’ Georg starts and Amalia cuts him off.

‘’Can you help me?’’ She asks, almost whispers for some reason, and Georg’s eyebrows furrow. 

‘’With what?’’ 

‘’Can you pretend to be my husband so that my friends will leave me alone? And possibly come up with a reason to get me out of here now’’ Amalia rushes out, and Georg grins. 

‘’As shocked as I am at the fact that you have friends, I will gladly help if you offer me a cup of coffee’’ Amalia smiles at him, but they really have to go back in now so that it won’t be weird. Speaking of weird, this wasn’t normally how married couples interact when seeing each other. 

‘’I’m going to hug you now’’ She says, and doesn’t give him a chance to respond before she stands on the edge of her heels and wraps her arm around his neck. She bites her lips when she feels his arm wrap around her waist, and they stay like that for a second or two before Amalia pulls away. ‘’Also, don’t say anything weird’’ She warns him before taking his hand and leading him inside. 

Georg follows after her, completely dumbfounded and empty minded, except for the thousands of thoughts about Amalia that were piling up. He was marveling at the feel of her small hands in his that he nearly forgets the reason he’s here. 

He does remember when Amalia stops in front of him, and he straightens his posture and looks at the two new woman he had never seen before. He gives them his best smile, and he sees them look at him from top to bottom.

‘’Adelaide, Catherine, meet my husband  _ Georg’’Amalia _ introduces them, and Georg feels his face warm up at the word husband and at hearing his name used without any spite. Catherine had a look of surprise and Adelaide was smiling so much he was sure her cheeks must’ve hurt. ‘’Georg, meet Adelaide and Catherine. They are old classmates of mine’’

‘’and friends!’’ Adelaide pitches in after, but her eyes never leave Georg’s face, and Georg shifts uncomfortably at her stare. 

‘’So, I'll be going now, since we-‘’ Amalia points between her and Georg ‘’-have a thing we need to take care of, we'll just be leaving now’’ she was about to pick up her coat from the stool, but Catherine interjects. 

“What’s the big rush? It’s a Saturday morning, and you clearly don’t have any important plans.” Amalia rolls her eyes but a smile remains on her face, either because deep inside she wants to stay and talk more or because Georg had given her hand a comforting squeeze. She wishes it wasn't the latter reason. “Are you afraid we'll take you husband?”

Amalia lets out a small laugh, her face warm ‘’What? No way. I know Georg, he isn’t good enough for you’’ she jokes and Georg feigns being offended. They eventually sit down, Georg taking the chair beside Amalia that once was Leina’s.

‘’So tell me, how long have you two been married!’’ Adelaide asks, then her eyes land on Amalia’s rather naked hands. ’’And how come you’re not wearing a ring?

“Amalia and I have been married.. what is now darling? Two years?” Georg smoothly replies, sliding his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. Amalia pinches his leg underneath the table and he loosens his arm, but it stays put on her shoulder. She shivers before smiling widely and nodding at his statement. 

Adelaide looks confused for a minute “but I meet you in January, and you told me that you were still waiting for someone” Amalia’s eyes widen, completely forgetting their earlier encounter, but she quickly regains herself and catches her bright smile when it falters.

“You see, I was hiding my relationship back then, since..” her sentence comes to a stop. Thankfully Georg pipes in immediately after. 

“Our parents weren’t on board with us marrying each other. Sort of like a Romeo and Juliet thing, minus the suicides. Also, that’s why Amalia and I can’t wear our rings in public. Its our own little secret” 

“How romantic!” Adelaide brings her clasped hands to her cheek, leaning against it almost dreamily. 

Catherine scoffs, taking a sip from her coffee and pulls back a strand of her hair from her forehead “I wish I had such a lovely relationship. All my husband does is snore all day and not satisfy me during sex”

Both Amalia and Georg flinch at that, and Adelaide brings a hand to rub Catherine’s back. “But you both seem so happy together!”

‘’Happy doesn’t mean satisfied. I’m sure you know what I mean’’ 

‘’Oh? I don’t think we have arrived at that point, or if we ever will. Right my love?’’ Georg smirks, and Amalia coughs after taking a bite from her palmier. ‘’Amalia here is very energetic in bed’’ He lets that slip of his tongue, and he mentally curses himself for saying it, or even thinking of it! That was a crazy thought and statement, he doesn’t even know where it came from!

Amalia has to bite the inside of her cheeks to keep herself from thinking of anything inappropriate. She fakes a cough and ‘accidentally’ crumbles the rest of the palmier on her dress ‘’Georg, dear’’ she says through a strained smile ‘’would you mind helping me clean off in the bathroom?’’ 

Before Georg could even answer, she had pulled him up by grabbing his hand and almost dragged him away from the two giggling friends. He does come to his senses quickly and follows after her. 

Amalia opens the public bathroom, and quickly closes the door after he enters. ‘’What the hell was that?’’ She turns to him angrily, and he lifts both of his hands up in surrender. 

‘’Hey! I didn’t say anything a married couple wouldn’t say!’’ 

‘’Yes, but really  _ Georg _ ?’’ The use of his name startled him, even though he had heard it a bunch since he had entered the cafe. ‘’I told you not to say anything weird! Now they are going to..Think things and-’’ She hides her blushing face from him with her hands’’Oh my god, they’re going to tell the entire town we’re married and that I’m  _ energetic _ during --’’ 

Georg cuts her off, the comeback of his statement finally showing its true consequences, and he swears he can feel his heart beating out of his chest. ‘’Well, looks like you didn’t exactly think this through’’ He tries saying this in an accusing tone, but all that came out was a high pitched fact. 

‘’I didn’t know they’d be asking  _ such _ questions’’ She mumbles out and Georg looks at her. This was the first time in a while he was alone with Amalia, ever since they were at the shop one late evening. Ever since Georg had made Amalia uncomfortable and made her turn away quickly and leave. 

He hadn’t forgiven himself for that, or for what had come over him. He was in love with somebody! His dear friend! But Amalia, oh Amalia. How had she so suddenly climbed so far up and made her space in his heart? Georg knew he was asking for too much, but he hopes, he wishes that Amalia was his dear friend.

He steps closer to her, and for a second his hands hesitate to reach out to her. What if she turns away again? He shakes away that thought and lightly places a hand on her shoulder. ‘’I think we need to start heading out, to not seem suspicious. Who knows what they’re thinking right now.’’ 

Amalia lets her hands fall in defeat, and she looks up at him with those big eyes that he finds himself lost in. She takes a deep breath and nods, then she fixes her dress and swats the crumbs down to the floor. 

‘’We need a plan’’ She says, and a glint in her eyes makes Georg raise an eyebrow. ‘’I have an idea’’ 

\--

‘’Where the hell have you two been?’’ Catherine says with a grin, and Adelaide giggles besides her. Amalia smiles brightly as she picks up her coat, and Georg does the same. 

‘’Im sorry, ladies. But it seems like my  _ energetic _ wife and I have to head home’’ Georg answers with a wink, and then hand in hand, Amalia and Georg leave the establishment with wide smiles and fluttering feelings. 

They part their hands from each other when they had rounded the corner and were out of sight from the cafe. Amalia gives Georg a massive smile, and he returns it. ‘’I promise you I will give you that coffee'’ Amalia says and Georg lets out a chuckle, having completely forgotten about that. 

‘’Raincheck?’’ He simply says and Amalia nods brightly, then they both go their own ways home. This was most certainly an interesting day. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O no

So Amalia might have chickened out and not sent a letter.

And she might’ve also chickened out even though she had already made a reservation. 

You see, her plan was to make a reservation as a way to push herself to send it without a second thought. But… that hadn’t worked out too well. It in fact hadn’t worked out at all. 

It infuriates her that no matter the mood she’s in, or the overwhelming love she’s feeling, she can’t send that letter.

A letter with well thought out words, that was short and simple, sweet in tone and loving in theme. But that letter stayed in her drawer the entire time. 

In her drawer full of his letters. 

Amalia enters the shop begrudgingly that morning, not ready for possibly the most stress filled night of her life, and that was beside the reservation made in the cafe. 

She sighs as she places her coat in the workroom and throws her purse in the locker, taking a hand and massaging her temples to ease some tension. She jumps when she feels a hand on her shoulder, and she turns around quickly, accidentally smacking Georg in the face with her hair. Woops. 

“Mr. Nowack! You scared me!” She scolds him, and he retracts his hand from her shoulder, and gives her an amused look with an eyebrow arched. 

“Well, I certainly didn’t know you were easily scared, Miss. Balash.” He teases and she rolls her eyes, perhaps he deserved that mouthful of her hair. 

He smiles and hands her a small clothed bag, which makes her raise an eyebrow. “It’s kind of a tradition for me to bake Christmas cookies for everyone in the store, so that includes you now.” He explains quickly and Amalia nods, opening up the bag to peek in at the small round cookies that are iced either green or red.

“Merry Christmas!” Georg finally says, and she grins widely. 

“Merry Christmas Mr.Nowack!” She replies happily, and he grins back at her. A sudden thought crosses her mind, and she plays around with the string that was wrapped around the small bag. “Say, Mr.Nowack… are you busy tonight?” 

“Well, yes. I need to work until 8pm-“ she gives him a stern but playful look and he chuckles. “Despite it being Christmas, I don’t think I have anything planned. Why are you asking?”

She takes a deep breath and thinks for a second, then swallows down the unnerving thoughts that were making their way up her head. She was going to lie. 

“My mother decided that she would spend Christmas with a special friend of hers instead of me” half-lie, so not entirely too bad, Amalia thinks to herself. “And because you helped me out last week” they both blush when she mentions the event that had unfolded, but Amalia continues strongly whilst looking anywhere but at his face “I thought that maybe you could join me instead…?” There is a silence and Amalia takes a deep breath. 

She was done. That felt great. If Georg says yes, then at least Christmas would be spent efficiently and she would have fun in some way. If not, then Amalia could at least drown her sorrows with expensive wine and say goodbye to her love life with both men she had been interested in- No, wait.

She looks up at him when he coughs and she was meet with an honest and soft smile that surprises her. “I would love to spend Christmas with you. Though I must say, I haven’t exactly bought you a present except for the cookies…” she grins at that. 

“Don’t worry, I haven’t either” 

“Georg, Amalia! We are going to open the shop in a moment! Get out here quickly!” They hear Ilona’s voice shout through the door and they both brace themselves. They wish each other good luck before heading out to the world. 

It was far too busy. There wasn’t a single moment anybody could catch a break. Amalia and Georg’s stomach’s were basically growling in unison, even if Ladislav had offered them many beignets to eat. The round sweets were most certainly not enough to fill their stomachs for the day. 

Georg was actually excited about this date- was it a date? What was this? Should he think of it as a payment for his help last week, because Georg doesn’t want it to only be that. And what was up with her nervous glances when she had asked him? What did this mean? He was simply overthinking her invitation, but he couldn’t help it! 

Georg was sure he had feelings for Amalia now, feelings he had never felt before! But dear friend still held such a precious spot in his heart, so everything was confusing and scary. 

It was safe to say that they were both thinking about their “date” later that day, because Amalia herself was unsure if she had made a mistake or not. She was worried about the outcome. What if she left the cafe with feelings that she didn’t want anywhere near her? 

But the clock ticked by, and before they know it the last customers we’re running out of the door with multiple bags full of presents. At least the payment would be nice this month. 

Whilst closing the door after them and resting his back against the door, Georg’s hands had accidentally made their way to her hips and pulled her close to him. He hadn’t noticed, and neither had she at first, since they were trying to catch their breath and bask in the sudden silence that loomed over the shop. 

But when Amalia had realized that his large and warm hands were resting on her hips, she blushed at his boldness and looked back at him. He gave her a confused look at first and then he noted how close she had been, and why she was so close in the first place. 

His grip immediately loosens and his hands shoot to his sides, and he apologizes multiple times. Amalia only gives him a small smile before going to the workroom to bring out the sheets for the glass counters. She tries to ignore the fluttering in her stomach, and he tries to forget the feeling of his hands around her. 

The shop was cleaned and closed rather quickly, and Amalia and Georg were surprisingly the first ones to leave. They wave goodbye to Mr.Maraczek and Kodaly, who were having a silent argument in the corner of the shop, and Amalia gives Ilona a hug. 

Ilona had wiggled her eyebrows when Amalia had explained what she was doing, which Amalia ignored and wishes her good luck with her and Kodaly’s relationship. That seemed to shut Ilona up, and Amalia mutters out a sorry before leaving with Georg. 

“Alright, so you lead the way” Georg says once they’re outside, and Amalia nods as she closes her white coat around her. She feels her hands trembling whilst she was tying the knot, which she blames on the cold and not her nervousness.

The cafe was a twenty minute walk away, and they spend most of the time talking about the customers they had seen today. There was an abundance of angry customers who had entered today, demanding to be given the perfect gift for either their loved ones or a friend, and that would often lead to many hilarious stories. 

Upon seeing the cafe they were supposed to eat at, Georg raises an eyebrow. “You we’re going to eat dinner with your mom at a cafe marketed for lovers?” He finds himself saying out loud, and he flushed when he realizes what type of setting it would be in there. 

Amalia laughs shyly “yeah, I also thought that was weird” she lies and cringes at her rather unbelievable voice, but Georg didn’t seem to notice(because he was still internally panicking about the romantic atmosphere). 

They walk in and stand in a rather long line, and she can’t help but drop her mouth at the loss of dignity some of the couple’s in there had. The things they were doing in public… she turns her head to Georg, who seemed to have the same expression on his face. 

Amalia laughs at that. “Man, we are going to be way out of place in here” she jokes and he nods, still shocked at seeing the couple in front of them violently shove their faces against each other. 

“Yes, definitely” 

The wait was thankfully not too long, about five to ten minutes, and Amalia and Georg were giggling together as they people watched when it was their turn to be seated. Amalia was thankful that there hadn’t been any type of tension between them, and that conversation seemed to flow easily. 

She gasped when she opened the menu “I have completely forgotten about how incredibly hungry I am” she says and Georg lets out a hum of agreement. 

“I’m glad to have distracted you from your starvation” he smiles and looks at her over the menu, and she wrinkles her nose and squints her eyes. He laughs and returns an expression mocking hers, and soon they are both sending each other childish and exaggerated looks. 

“Excuse me, Sir, Madame” A waiter suddenly says by Georg’s side, and Georg turns to him in the middle of sticking out his tongue and rolling his eyes up. 

“Oh I’m sorry I-“ Georg tries explaining, embarrassed and his face red, and Amalia wheezes at his fumbling. Georg looks at her as if she had betrayed him. 

The waiter only smiles. “No worries sir. I'm glad you and your wife are enjoying yourselves in here” Amalia’s mouth opens, but her mouth was still smiling. Georg himself scoffs. Of course they would think that. Neither of them decide to correct him. “Are you ready to order?” 

They order their food and Amalia asks him to bring them multiple bottles of wine. The waiter obviously refuses when she tries ordering over four bottles, because of a policy they had, and she frowns. Well, four would have to do. 

“Is there a reason as to why you want to order so much wine?” Georg asks her when the waiter finally leaves, then gasps loudly. The couples nearby send them a few glances and stares but neither care about that. “Are you trying to get me drunk?” He accuses and Amalia huffs at that. 

“By the way you’re acting right now, I’d say you already are” she answers, unable to tell him the actual truth. She could, and she wanted to, but how should she inform him that she was currently trying (and failing) at wooing the love of her life? And how could she say that to somebody whom she was suddenly attracted to? That’s way too hard!

When the food arrives, they fall into a comfortable silence, only talking between bites to comment on a song they would be playing or laughing at a waiter who spills wine all over a customer near them. 

Amalia can't help but feel like this is what she had expected to feel when meeting dear friend. She can’t help but feel like Georg was dear friend. 

He was suddenly so nice, a true gentleman, and Amalia frowns when she realises that she had terribly miss judged him. He had helped her multiple times, and Amalia found that she trusted him deeply. It was a weird feeling. 

‘’Georg, I have to be honest with you’’ Amalia says after a while, both of them enjoying the music as they were drinking expensive wine and eating very fancy food. He looks up at her with wonder in his eyes, especially because she had skipped on formalities. Amallia sighs. ‘’I didn’t invite you because my mother bailed on me last minute…’’ She starts, and Georg’s eyes widened. 

Had she actually invited him out on a date? Was this their first date? Does she have feelings for him? What the hell was this?! Georg’s mind keeps spinning and his eyes didn’t leave her face. Her beautifully framed face with her hair cascading down in waves, or her eyes that Georg can’t seem to ever forget. Was this it? 

With all the thoughts in his head, he had completely forgotten about his original love, and a small pang of quilt built up, but Georg was kind of happy. He was living in his dream world were Amalia had planned to ask him out and --

‘’I - I was originally going to invite somebody dear to me here.’’ Amalia finishes, and everything shattered around Georg. It technically did, since the waiter had accidentally dropped his tray of plates again in the background, but all Georg could hear currently was white noises. He opens his mouth, trying to mask his inevitable disappointment.

‘’Did he turn you down or..?’’ Georg was kind of hoping that yes, whomever Amalia had tried asking had said no to her and that she wasn’t in love with some other man and that she would consider Georg instead. But no, that was too selfish, and Georg wishes Amalia the best of luck in her life. And Georg had someone he himself was in love with! 

Georg curses himself. It was as if lately Georg had to remind himself of the intelligent, young lady he was corresponding with through letters, such glorious and alluring letters. Amalia had really taken a toll on him, and he was unsure of how he actually felt about that. 

Amalia scoffs at his statement ‘’I wish he did… I was just being too much of a coward and chickened out on asking him’’ She replies dryly, staring down at her wine glass and sighing. ‘’I- I really love him-’’ Georg’s jaws clench, and he can feel his eyes swell with tears. He really had drank enough alcohol for the week, since his emotions were completely uncontrollable’’- but apparently that isn’t enough for me to send just one letter…’’ 

Georg’s head snaps towards her and she flinches in surprise at his reaction. ‘’Letters?’’ he asked cautiously, and Amalia nods, unsure of why she suddenly had the feeling that she wanted to tell him everything. 

‘’Yes, letters.’’ She looks around, and then she groans. ‘’I know it’s weird, but I have never met the man in my life! I just.. I know him, Georg! I know everything about him! I know the music he loves, the books he wants to read or the simple facts about his family, his domestic life and- I love everything about him and yet I still--’’ She buries her face in her hands in embarrassment, but also to hide her pained eyes. 

There is a pregnant pause and Amalia groans to herself. She had scared him off, hadn’t she. He was probably thinking that she was crazy. Who doesn’t think that she’s crazy? Writing letters and falling in love with someone without knowing them in real life was unheard of! 

She breathes deeply and brushes away the tears that were close to falling down. Her appetite was gone, even if she had barely eaten half her food. 

“I-I’m sorry” she hears him suddenly say, and she looks up from her hands at that. What? 

“What?” She looks at him and is shocked to see his eyes also glazed with tears. She chokes back a sob. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t know how to respond to that” He explains and Amalia nods, even if there was an undertone of something she couldn’t quite place. It was as if he wasn’t telling her everything. 

She sighed and looked down at her food and wine. “No, don’t apologize. I sprung this upon you. I-“ she pauses, then looks him straight in the eyes and feels her heart break when she catches his tear filled eyes again. “I think I’ll be leaving now” 

He perks up at that and opened his mouth to object. “What? But you haven’t finished your food? And you’ve barely eaten anything all day!” She shakes her head and stands up. She felt so guilty, so awful that she invites him out and then leaves him in the middle of it. If only she hadn’t brought down the mood. She curses herself for her foolishness. 

“You can continue eating, and don’t worry about the bill” she takes a step towards the entrance before turning around. “I’m sorry” she lets out and leaves him there. Before exiting the establishment, she pays for the entire bill and grabs her jacket, then heads home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst


	7. Chapter 7

Amalia was stressed about her and Georg’s relationship. 

She hadn’t properly apologized for her behavior and hadn’t exactly talked to him at all since then. It was as if whenever they were left alone, her mind would panic and the only thing she could think about was how sorry she was. 

And she was very sorry. Terribly sorry. She had even written multiple letters about how awful she had felt!

(None of them were sent, because she would never dare to show him what she had written in those letters in real life. There had been an unusual amount of sad and frowning faces in her O’s, which was rather childish and she would rather if he did not acknowledge her playful side in such an important letter)

Amalia had just left him in the cafe all alone, at christmas of all days! She knew she would be furious if somebody left her alone like that! And Georg did look a slight bit annoyed at her, but that could be Amalia’s mind playing tricks on her. 

It was another day full of half-work, since the shop was often found empty after the holiday rush, and she gladly decided to take a longer shift today, just because her mind at home didn’t stop thinking. She was the only clerk working right now, and she was glad she knew how to handle the cash register. There was one customer left for the day, and Amalia was happily taking care of him. This was a piece of cake! 

She was used to taking care of male customers, but some of them made her feel icky on the inside. How they would make subtle moves on her, moves that she recognized and would cringe at. And for some odd reason, there seems to have been a sudden increase in male customers after Mr. Kodaly had been fired (A true Christmas miracle! Ilona had told her when Amalia had returned to the shop. Amalia had agreed quietly to herself)

Ilona had given her advice on how to sound both appealing but business serious to the men, as to not lead them on but to sell products more efficiently with charm. The tips and tricks were helpful, but Amalia thought they were more fit for Ilona than herself. 

Ilona had however neglected to give her some advice about what to do when a man was being too persistent, and Amalia was cursing herself for not asking. It had thankfully not been needed until this day.

The male customer, around her age, had entered the shop with apparently one thing in mind, and that was to woo her. She hadn’t noticed that at first, in fact Amalia had thought he was just being very nice to her as he asked about their entire stock. It would however later dawn on her all the clear hints of him not being interested in what she was talking about, by the way his eyes seemed to scan her body every chance he got, or the fact that he came in half an hour before the shop would close. 

(She groans at herself for not noticing earlier. Of course, it was mostly because she was still living in her mind)

At least, his intentions didn’t show until he came closer to her when she was explaining to him the positive outcomes of their seasoned day- and night cream. Her first instinct was to back away, but she noticed she couldn’t exactly do that when she felt the perfume shelves come in contact with her back. The panic doesn’t hit until his face was inches away from her, and the smell of his cologne was something she could literally taste.

‘’Now, would a young lady as yourself tell me what she is doing after work tonight?’’ The man grins, and Amalia swallows nervously. She takes a deep breath and decides to move to the side, but a firm and sudden hand on her waist stops her from doing so. She shudders when he takes a step closer, putting her hands in between them and on his chest to push him gently away, but he wouldn’t move. Her breath grows rapidly, and she tries to steady her wavering voice.

‘’Im sorry, Sir, but this isn’t- I’m not interested- I’’ He cuts her off, and Amalia can only do so much to glare at him. 

‘’I do not see a reason for you not to be’’ he murmurs and looks down at her hands, as if to say that she wasn’t wearing a ring. Amalia’s head was spinning around so fast, and she tries to look past him to get somebody to help her out, but she saw absolutely nobody. Damn taking the last shift of the day. 

‘’I told you sir, I am not interested’’ She musters up a small ounce of anger into her voice, sounding firm but keeping her tone polite at the same time. She then tries to push past him again, and succeeds, but soon feels a tight grip around her arm that was pulling her back. 

She yelps when she is pushed back against the shelves, her back aching at the sudden pain. A perfume bottle drops to the floor, clattering, thankfully not shattering, loudly in the silence of the shop. 

He comes face to face with her, and she shivers at the cold look in his eyes. Amalia tries to release her arm, but his grip only tightens and she can’t help but let out a small whine at the bruise she was sure it was going to leave behind. 

Before he can speak, and she knew that he was going to yell at her by the furious gleam in his eyes, Georg walks out of the work room with a notepad in hand, writing things down. When he looks up and at them, his eyebrows immediately furrow as he looks upon the vision before him. 

Amalia lets out a sigh of relief when she sees Georg, and the customer heaves himself off her, pulling her along with him and away from the display. 

Georg seemed to be instantly pissed at the rough movements, he was angry long before that, and he places his notebook down on the front counter. He steps closer to them and politely, with his teeth clenched, tries to ask about the situation. ‘’Good evening, sir. Miss.Balash. What seems to be the--’’ and now the man was shouting. 

‘’This whore right here-’’ She grimaces at the use of his words and the tug at her arm’’- has been leading me on for half an hour and then had the audacity to say that ‘she’s not interested’’’ The man furiously explains, and she winced at the fact that the louder he spoke, the harder he gripped. Now she was positive she was going to have a nasty mark on her upper arm tomorrow. 

Georg only has to take one look at her painstriken face to start making his way to them with long and hasty strides. He swats away the mans hand with a sharp slap, and she is finally released from the death grip. Its as if she can finally take a breath too, because she seems to have taken way too few the past minute. Her head feels way too light right now.

For some reason she ends up standing very close to Georg, so close that she can feel his chest rising and falling. She doesn’t flinch when she feels his hand on her waist protectively. 

‘’Now, if you’re kind enough, leave this shop now. You are not welcome here if you’re harassing our employees’’ Georg says, giving him a pointed glare and barely blinks at the other man’s enraged look. The man does laugh in a rather patronizing way.

‘’Me? I'm not the one going around, leading men on when I’m married’’ He barks out, and Amalia stiffens at his words. She wasn’t leading him on, was she? She was just being a sales girl like usual. This wasn’t her fault… was it?

She feels Georg’s hand on her waist pull her a bit closer, and she leans back almost naturally in his embrace, but her mind was still yelling at her. Was she leading Georg on? In fact, what the hell did Amalia even want from Georg? She has to take another deep breath and she leans almost all her weight against Georg’s chest, feeling too faint to stand up for herself. 

‘’Married or not, it is still her choice whether or not she is interested. Now I suggested you leave this establishment or I will have to call the police department’’ Georg’s response was still filled with patience and that seemed to annoy the man further. 

‘’If she is married, then why the hell isn’t she wearing a ring?’’ The man hisses out, completely ignoring what Georg had said. Georg has to give him another pointed glare, his eyes clearly guiding him towards the door and signaling for him to leave now. The customer does with a slam of the front door. 

They continue standing close to each other, and Amalia moans to herself and takes a step away, him warily watching her. She stands with her back against him as she tries to regain her breath, her attempts half assed, and she turns to thank him, but there is a sudden sense of dejavu that washes over her. 

It was the look he was giving her. 

It was the same one he had when they were at the cafe during Christmas. 

His eyes weren’t tear-glazed, but they held an emotional hurt that made her heart ache the same way it had in the cafe. She could almost feel her heart stop as she stares back at his eyes, and Amalia knew she needed to focus on something else to ground herself. 

She does so when her eyes widen and she looks down at her arm, grimacing at her wrinkly shirt but pulling it up to her shoulders to finally see the damage. As she had guessed, his hand had left a finger shaped bruise that was now like a purple, yellowish mark on her upper arm. 

‘’Are you alright?’’ Georg asked, his voice much softer now than 2 minutes ago. She nods and gives him a small smile, her eyes not looking at his. The smile doesn’t last for long. 

Georg looks over her arm, and she can see his hands reaching towards her but stop in the middle of it. He seemed so unsure, and his worrying glance between her arm and her face made her feel bubbly and so guilty. What has she done to deserve his carefulness?

‘’Yeah. Thank you for helping me out, I’m-’’ Amalia hesitates, looking away from him for a second to take a deep breath and steady herself in some way.‘’ -I’m not sure how I would’ve handled this situation all by myself’’ She admits, pulling down her sleeve and trying to straighten it out a bit, but that was a lost cause. 

They were still standing close enough for her to feel him tense, and she was wary enough to notice his jaw clench again and his hands shifting between being clenched and unclenched. ‘’He didn’t do something else… Did he?’’ He asks almost tentatively, and she shakes her head, and her mind started racing again. 

‘’No! No, god, nothing like that! Thankfully…’’ She quickly says, and he seems to nod understandingly. Amalia feels a thickness in her throat and she looks down. She had just realized how bad it might’ve been if Georg wasn’t here. 

If Amalia was strong enough to pull away from the beginning she would have been just fine, but admittedly she wasn’t. She wouldn’t have been able to protect herself and- and now she was shaking a bit and her voice was so small and tired and- ‘’Oh god, I-I was just handling things like I normally would, and he just- he could’ve--’’ she couldn’t bring herself to continue, and now it's Georg’s turn to shake his head. 

‘’You don’t have to explain anything!’’ He interjects her thoughts from spiraling further down, and Amalia can only nod.’’You don’t have to think about hypotheticals, and if’s! You’re okay now, there’s nothing to worry about!” He was surprised when she decides to close the distance between them and lean into his warmth, her hands on his back clenching the material as she tries to breathe in his scent, somewhat comforting her. He gently placed his arms around her waist, and they stay like that for several minutes. 

Georg doesn’t say anything, but he tries to show her how much he cared about her through small strokes on her back, or long breaths that seemed to calm her down. He was somewhat worried about her, since Georg had never quite seen this side of her before. She was always headstrong around the shop, and even outside on the few occasions they had met, but she had her insecurities. 

At the cafe, the first time Georg had seen her so vulnerable, it was because of her thoughts about her self worth, which infuriated him. He wishes he could show her how much she means to him, but it isn’t his place to decide. He needed Amalia’s consent to help her first. 

For instance, she was seeking comfort right now and Georg was glad to give her that, but he couldn’t give it if she had closed her walls like last time. It was however understandable. He knew that if he had been in a situation like that, he would be shook up on the possibilities. 

She nervously pulls away, taking the scuffs of her arm and cleaning away the tears under her eyes hastily, as if he hadn’t just seen her cry. He tries to give her a reassuring smile, but she didn’t look at him to see it. She was instead focused on cleaning the damp spot on his coat with her handkerchief that she decides to use on him instead of herself. “Oh my god, i'm sorry. You jacket is-“ he grabs her frantic hands in both of his, making her finally look up and into his eyes. 

“Amalia.’’ Her eyes widened slightly at hearing her name, and Georg tries not to think about her hands in his. “It’s okay. I don’t care about this stupid coat, at least not in any way more than I care about you” that sounded a lot like a confession, bur Georg swallows quickly down that thought. She gave him a small smile at his words, and he returns it with one of his own lopsided ones. 

He feels her shift from one leg to another, and he raises an eyebrow at that. She looks at him straight in the face and finally says “I’m also sorry about what happened at the cafe..” 

“You already apologized” he counters back and she bites her lip at the sweet and understanding tone he used. He can’t forgive her that easily!

“Yes but it feels like I didn’t give you the best apology. I mean, I left you all alone on Christmas after I had invited you out!” Amalia explains furiously, the anger directed at herself, and Georg sighs. 

For some odd reason, a reason that he mentally punches himself for later, he pulls her softly closer to him, not pushing her boundaries. He places a light kiss on her hair line, and then whispers “Please don’t worry. It’s really okay” 

“Georg-“ 

“Amalia” the use of her name again made her breath hitch, and she quiets down. Georg places his forehead against hers “truthfully, it’s okay” She nods, and her hands in his shift so that their fingers interlock. He gives her a reassuring squeeze and looks down at her with the same smile. “If you want to talk more about today, you know I’m all ears” 

Amalia shakes her head, then whispers a quiet “no, thank you” and releases their hands. They back away from each other slowly, almost painfully, and start closing up the shop for the night. Amalia could however still feel her heart beating loudly in her chest. She doesn’t know how tomorrow will be when it comes, and she damn well hopes to never see that man again in her life. 

When they finally finish, they walk out together into a nice and chilly January night, and she shudders at the wind that blows some snow off the roof and onto them. She waits patiently as he struggles to lock the old wooden door to the shop, and then Amalia looks at him with a small grin. 

‘’You know, having you as a ‘husband’ could really help me out’’ She half jokes, half wonders about it, her face flushed at the fact that she had said that outloud. He lets out a snort. 

‘’It feels like I would have a very heavy-handed wife’’ he says, his eyes shining at the sight of her laughing without a care in the world. The same expression she had before some random man came into the store to try and charm her away from him, and possibly herself. 

He tries not to think about at all, but it infuriates him that somebody would want to hurt Amalia like that. He doesn’t want to think of the if’s, but he finds his mind wandering away from his train of thought, bringing up unpleasant scenarios that made him shiver.

That brings back a serious expression on his face and his smile drops to a flat line. Amalia’s laugh subsides when she notices it, and the hair on the back of her neck rises as worry and dread starts filling her. ‘’Would you mind if I walked with you to the bus stop?’’ 

With that tone in his voice, Amalia was unsure if he was doing this for her or for himself. There was an obvious meaning to his question, and Amalia sighs to herself. Of course Georg would want to make sure she got home safe. 

His voice seemed so desperate in that moment, his eyes looking at her without blinking and full of an emotion she can’t exactly place her hand on. She thinks about his offer, and for a second she wants to tell him no, she doesn’t want to burden him, but it might be best if he was with her for a while longer. 

She smiles and the fear that had crept up in his expression was replaced with relief. “I’d like that’’ she responds honestly and he grins. “I’d like that a lot”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this story is soon coming to an end, might be just one or two more chapters :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is the last chapter :) 
> 
> But, I am writing a small extra scene (yeeeeeeeess)

Georg hurries down the streets of Budapest, his scarf flying behind him as he frantically searches for her apartment number. Everything around him is blurry as his eyes can’t focus on one thing at a time, and he apologizes quickly to everybody he accidentally walks into. He doesn’t care about the multiple looks and glares he was currently given. 

406, 406, 4-0-6, 4- bingo! 

His eyes find the silver numbers that lead to her apartment door, and he stops in front of it to catch a breath and look at the apartment complex. She lived a tad bit outside of downtown, but the apartments here were still rather marvelous and well built. 

With a large smile on his face, he opens the door and holds it as an old lady who lived there was heading out. He greets her politely, and the lady mutters something about ‘’handsome young man’’ on her way out. That certainly increased his mood, but he couldn’t waste a second more! He goes up to the sign at the end of the corridor and searches for her name among the other tenants. 

Amalia Balash, floor 3. 

He takes three steps at a time as he makes his way to the third floor, and he was heavily panting when he arrives at his destination. He doesn’t stop to regain his breath, he simply doesn’t have time. 

He knocked four times on her door, loud and clear, then waits patiently for her to answer. If she answers the door. He takes off his hat and brushes a hand through his hair, the stress starting to get to him. He couldn’t breath, his feet were jittery with some sort of adrenaline pulsing through them and his stomach was doing multiple flips. 

He sighs with relief when he hears the door open, but his smile vanishes completely when he sees her dressed in a new and rather beautiful black dress, her hair extra shiny and berry colored lipstick on her lips. He doesn’t have time to examine her further, because his eyes go to her face as he takes in her shocked expression. 

“Georg!” She says at the same time as he exhales at the sight of her. She looked amazing, and he was wondering if he had perhaps interrupted her during something important, or intimate. 

“I’m sorry, but do you have some time?” He asks between deep breaths, then quickly adds “there’s no worry if you have someone-SOMETHING to attend to!” He corrects himself in the middle of it all, and Amalia glances anxiously between him and a clock on the wall behind her. 

“I have an appointment very soon, so you better hurry” she opens the door for him to enter and he quickly does so, taking off his new shoes and coat and following her to the living room of her apartment.

He can’t focus on the objects in her home right now, he was instead trying to figure out how to tell her that he needs her help. Just be straightforward. That usually works well for him. Kind of. She gestures for him to take a seat in her living room

Georg sits down on her couch and doesn’t wait before starting. “I’m supposed to meet this  _ friend _ , whom I have been talking to for a rather long time, at a restaurant today. But here’s the thing, I am way too nervous to go there, and I can’t help but panic. What if she doesn’t like me for who I am? What if my coat gets stuck on the cloth on the table and I walk away and everything comes crashing down? OR WHAT IF I accidentally drink vinegar instead of wine, just because I have no sense of taste when i get this nervous? OR-“ she cuts him off by shaking her hands around, catching his attention and literally waving his thoughts away. He quiets down, but his leg can’t stop bouncing. 

“Georg, relax.” She tells him and he tries to, but it isn’t that easy. She notices his strained and tense muscles and puts a hand on his leg, effectively making it stop. “Breath for me, deeply” she instructs him to follow her lead as she takes a deep breath, holds it, then releases it. 

That seemed to do the trick. 

Georg continues taking long breaths and she smiles when he gets his own rhythm. “There we go. Now please, could you start from the beginning? All I heard was a bunch of incoherent words and drinking vinegar on accident” she looks at his embarrassed face “has that actually happened to you?” 

She smirks when he nods, but she also stays quiet and waits for him to finish his train of thought, then watches him intently. Georg plays around with his fingers and straightens his back at her gaze, but it somehow made him feel a bit more confident in his voice. 

“I’m meeting somebody very important to me tonight and I-“ he pauses slightly when he sees her eyes widen, but he pushes himself to continue “no matter how much I reason with myself, I find myself scared of going” he simply explains and Amalia nods, a thoughtful look on her face. 

Before she can open her mouth, he has to quickly add something in to elaborate his reason for showing up unannounced at her door. “I- I normally get help with this stuff from Mr.Maraczek or Ladislav, but they both happen to be busy today and-” That was a lie, he knows that Ladislav would love to be released from his family and that Mr.Maraczek wasn’t so busy after his divorce. He swallows down hard and Amalia raises an eyebrow. “And well, I thought that we were close enough that perhaps you could help me” he concludes, and Amalia smiles widely at him. He feels his cheeks warm up at her pure look of happiness and he smiles back in return. It’s as if her joy was infectious. 

“Well, I’m glad that you came to me,” she tells him and gives his knee a light squeeze. He nodded and she was quiet for a few seconds. “What is it exactly Mr.Maraczek and Ladislav do to help you through this?” 

“Well, they usually tell me to man up and face whatever it is that’s bothering me, though that won’t help me much right now…’’ Georg explains and Amalia grimaces, pulling herself away from him and uses that same hand to lightly stroke her chin. That brings his attention back to her lips and he looks quickly away and down at his fumbling finger, because  _ now was really not the time _ . He was already second guessing everything, and Georg doesn’t want this turning into a mistake. 

‘’Alright, so obviously that’s horrible advice’’ Amalia jokes and Georg lets out an uneasy laugh, making her frown. She sits up a bit straighter and smoothes out the already smooth material of her dress. ‘’How about you tell me all the good things that can come out of this? You know? Think positive!’'

He continues looking down at his hands and thinks about that for a moment. ‘’Well, I have been corresponding with her for quite some time, and funny enough we know each other through-’’ He stops for a second, looking up at her as he thinks of what he was just going to say.  _ -through letters, much alike you.  _

He had thought about what she had told him in the restaurant on christmas before, feeling an undeniable amount of hope that just perhaps, they were corresponding with each other. Maybe he would then feel less guilty about having such  _ mature _ thoughts of Amalia. 

He coughs and clears his throat, and mind, to be able to continue on. He chooses to completely dismiss saying anything about letters, mostly because he doesn’t want her to think of what happened on christmas.‘’Anyway, I know a lot about her and I feel completely enchanted when we discuss books, symphonies and whatmore’’ 

Georg doesn’t give Amalia time to respond, since he gets completely into it. ‘’And she is so brilliant! Honestly, she is so thoughtful and caring! She knows every single detail in every book, every bit of information on the author and she recommends the best novels that I have ever read!’’

Not sparing Amalia a look, he doesn’t notice her smile incredulously at him, as if she was having an epiphany after hearing what he’s saying. ‘’It isn’t just the books, however!’’ Georg looks up, startling Amalia from her thoughts at the haste movement. ‘’I find myself thrilled to know more about her personal life’’ His voice gets softer at the end, and he has a tender smile as he looks down at his lap. 

There was a silence looming over them for a few seconds, and when he dares to look up after his outburst of emotions and feelings he is struck again by the similar feelings he feels towards Amalia. Her shining brown eyes were piercing into his own when he looked her in the face, and he feels his eyes widen a bit. 

‘’Did that sound disturbing?’’ He asks in a low voice, and she laughs. 

‘’No, not at all! That sounds so-’’ She pauses and looks around the room, as if she was searching for something, but he knew it was a tell tale sign of her being nervous. ‘’It sounds wonderful’’ She admits, and her eyes land on the clock. 

Georg jumps when she immediately stands up, her body tensing and her shoulders rising in disbelief. ‘’I’m late’’ She informs him in an exhale, and when he himself turns towards the clock, he is displeased to know that he is also running behind. 

‘’Oh’’ He could only let out as he watched her scurry off into the hallway and towards the front door, but he is quickly on his feet when he realizes that they were in the same predicament. ‘’I-I’m sorry- I didn’t-’’ He stutters out as he sees Amalia hastily pulling on a pair of white heels, that were dashingly new and smooth.

‘’Don’t worry, just take your coat and shoes quickly so I can lock up’’ She dismisses, throwing him his coat and going for her own. He also took notice of the new, white and snuggly fit coat she ties around her waist. He feels his jaw clench a bit, and he tries to ignore his jealous wave. He pulled his coat on and made quick work on his shoes, bending down and grabbing his polished boots. Georg was too busy working on his shoes to notice Amalia give him an appreciative do-over of his wardrobe. 

‘’By the way, you look quite handsome’’That comment makes him falter from tying the laces of his shoes, and he looks up at her. He thinks about the position he was placed in, on one knee with Amalia in front of him looking so perfect for an occasion like proposing. 

He shakes that thought away and blushes, then coughs a bit and continues tying his shoes. ‘’You look lovely yourself…’’ He smiles a bit, trying to look as sincere as he could. ‘’I suppose we both have important events that we are late to.’’

She doesn’t laugh, but she does smile widely, making her nose wrinkle and her flushed cheeks pop out. He swallows and stands up, then points to the door, signaling that he is ready to leave. Amalia however smirks and raises an eyebrow. 

‘’Aren’t you forgetting something?’’ She teases him lightly, and he doesn’t have time to respond before she grabs his hat from the counter of the cabinet. He rolls his eyes and bows his head, indigating for her to place it on his head however she likes. 

He shivers a bit when he feels her fingers rake through his hair, trying to either fix or mess up his hair. Georg honeslty doesn’t care what she is doing, since the feeling of her nails lightly grazing against his scalp was a feeling he wanted to feel for longer than she allowed him to enjoy, since she was done after four brushes. He blinks when he feels the soft material of his hat being placed, then he stands up straighter and faces her again. 

‘’Let’s go’’ Amalia didn’t need to tell him twice, and he was out of the door with her behind him a second later. She grabs a purse and her keys from the cabinet and closes the door behind her. There is a slight struggle with locking the door, since multitasking holding a key and putting on a glove at the same time wasn’t a wise choice, but she gets it and then they are clambering down the stairs in a fury. 

As if there was an unspoken agreement, they both took a right when exciting her apartment, and Amalia was a bit confused when he made the same turn with her when they arrived out in the streets of Budapest. Did Georg think that they weren’t done with their conversation or was he coincidentally going to a location near hers?  _ Or what if they were going to the same location?  _ No, she subtly shakes her head, that would be far too much of a surreal reality. ‘’ You know you don’t have to-’’ She was about to start saying, but then stopped her sentence abruptly because it would sound too presumptuous to tell him that he didn’t need to follow her. ‘’I mean, where are you going?’’ 

‘’Ironically, but I actually made reservations at the cafe that you and I went to on christmas.’’ He fixes his scarf a bit, but he was mostly using the material as an excuse not to show his shaking hands. She would have cringed at remembering their awkward, and very disastrous first date. (If one could call it that, Amalia most certainly did not.)

(But she did, because it felt more natural to say ‘’first date’’ than ‘’encounter with a business partner whom there have been shown uncertain feelings of reverence for the past few weeks even though there have also been a large amount of loathing happening between them at the same time’’. Yes, that was the only reason why she called that evening their first date.)

But that dissolved when she realised she was also currently going there- ‘’Wait, what time did you say you were meeting her?’’ 

Georg hesitates, he hadn’t mentioned anything about when he was meeting his dear friend. ‘’At eight…?’’

She blinks, her haste strides starting to slow down, and he was perplexed at what she was starting to realise. ‘’That’s pretty funny, I’m also… Oh’’

‘’Oh?’’ He repeats. 

‘’What was she supposed to bring?’’ Amalia hesitantly asks, and Georg looks to his side and at her, surprised that she was asking him that when he hadn’t mentioned anything about his dear friend bringing something with her. 

‘’A book with a rose as a bookmark.’’ He says and sees the shocked expression on her face. He wasn’t catching on to whatever it was that she had realized.

‘’And the book is…’’ She drifts off, telling him to elaborate. 

‘’Anna Karenina’’ 

She bites her bottom lip, her eyes darting away from his and making him feel rather dumb. Had he said something wrong? Or was this her way of telling him something. Something important that had to do with his meeting that he was late to. How had she even known about the book-- 

He stops when realization hits him, and she winces at his expression. 

Usually, when a man has to stop in the middle of the street and frowns after realizing you were the one corresponding with him for the past year, it wasn’t a good sign. Even though the feeling of shock is mutual, she feels as if she had handled the new information far better, and less melodramatic. Amalia just hopes that he would at least let her down easily. 

Actually, she herself needed a moment to think about this as well. When she has spent so long hoping that Georg was her dear friend, far too long for her to admit it to herself, she was baffled when that was the reality. Despite this being what she has wanted, it felt like she had taken advantage of him.

He has helped her with so much, and she was becoming ever more grateful to have him by her side during most times, but she wasn’t his perfect match. Amalia was flawed when it came to relationships, platonic or not, and that was something she has never mentioned in her letters to him. He had to first handedly see how easy it was for her to break down because of something as silly as ‘’not being able to send a letter’’?

‘’When- When did you know?’’ He quietly asks her, and she now realizes that she was biting her tongue. 

‘’Well, about five minutes ago?’’ Amalia answers timidly, then rolls her eyes at her vulnerable and unsure behaviour. No, this wasn’t her. ‘’Unless we are just COINCIDENTALLY going to the same restaurant, at the same time and I just HAPPEN to bring this-’’ She stops short and ruffles through her large bag, then carefully pulls out the thick book with the rose. ‘’-not because the person I love told me too or anything’’ 

‘’Amalia, I love that you’re trying to lighten the mood, but I am honestly freaking out -’’ He suddenly inhales sharply and opens his mouth in shock, his cheeks burning up when he realised what she had just said. She may have also realised that and took a step back, eyes wide and eyebrows, along with shoulders, raised high. 

There was the tension filled silence, always making its way back into their lives, but this time it was more than welcomed if Amalia didn’t have to explain herself immediately. She was trying to find a way out of this, and in her panic she just realized how dumb this entire situation is. 

What the hell are they doing? They are adults writing letters to each other, letters in which they have expressed clear feelings of love for one another, so why the hell would it be so hard to say it now face to face? This was all so ridiculous! 

She giggles a bit at that, and the utter defeated and stunned look Georg gives her makes her laugh even more. An immense feeling of deja vu hit them both. 

This is how they started, how their feelings in real life got tangled with their feelings in the letters. The day a lady had mistakenly entered the shop, given them one glance and then proclaimed that lovers' quarrels were wonderful. That it was no shame to disagree with each other, and that having arguments often lead to healthy marriages. 

Georg’s nerves disappear and in a sudden blink, the entire atmosphere shifts. His crazy nerves settling down had let him see her, his dear friend, both parts of her he loved; the letter girl he trusts fondly and the women he found himself adoring in every way since the beginning. 

He had been blinded by his thoughts, because right now everything seemed to fit right into place, and that the date they were going on was meant for them, the two of them, and no one unknown. Was this destiny? Or was it Fate? Perhaps it was just a coincidence, a great coincidence that caused joy by both parties involved.

He joins in on her laughter instead of thinking, the sound shocking them both as they had not expected it to come out so loud and pure. As if on cue, they both reached for each other, Georg taking a step closer with his arms wrapping around her waist and Amalia on her tippy toes, her hand combing into his hair. 

They embrace, a tight and loving embrace that leaves them breathless from laughing too much and from squeezing the breath out of each other. ‘’You scared me…’’She states once their laughter had subdued, her face smushed into his shoulder so that he would not see her tender smile. He nearly doesn’t hear what she says, and he was now scared to know what she had meant. 

‘’I’m sorry’’ He starts, and she huffs out a small laugh. 

‘’You’re perfect, but don’t ever pause like that’’ She leans back, her face inches away from his. Her eyes flicker down to his lips, then quickly back up to his eyes as she feels her face blooming. She really wanted to kiss him, and it was embarrassing to have to say this. ‘’Ca-’’

‘’Can I kiss you?’’ He asks her the second she opens her mouth, and she is blatantly shocked at his question and the desperation behind his voice. He sounded scared but yet so... So confident. 

‘’Yes, please’’ She breathes out, and drags him in closer by his hair. Without missing a beat, their lips meet and subconsciously, they both feel a ton of weight being lifted from their shoulders. That with this soft and gentle kiss came reassurance that everything was going to be okay. 

They were both too involved with one another, shutting the world around them completely off, that they hadn’t cared about the people having to walk around them to get to where they were going. One man who was in a hurry, and who was also very grumpy, walked by and accidentally nudged his shoulder with Georg. The sudden and aggressive movement made him stumble closer to Amalia, his arms instinctively tightening around her back whilst he was trying to catch his feet. 

‘’What the--?’’ Georg turns his head and at the same time the man turns around with a scowl on his face. 

‘’People are trying to walk here! Take your marriage proposal elsewhere!’’ He snarls loudly, and if it weren’t for their blissful moment seconds ago, they both would have shouted something back at him. They instead watched him go by, Amalia smiling so hard that her cheesy were starting to ache and Georg with his iconic lopsided grin.

‘’I suppose we have to go to our reservation now before they our table away’’ Georg mumbles and Amalia laughs brightly, leaning her face into the crook of his neck. Her toes were starting to hurt her in those high heels, so she supposes it is best if they continue down the road together. 


End file.
